07/15/2021 NEWS AM - Don’t miss Shorashim Insights: Link https://madmimi.com/p/ffdc921?pact=1081896-163992858-6940209099- bf58af0eba207053623cf66aaba70fbf5156e070 אהוד בנאי - אל אדון על כל המעשים https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEJyRLt5M4s&list=RDMM God is the Lord of all creation Purity and justice guard his throne Full of splendour, they radiate Glory and honor they give to his He is praised by the breath of all Kindness and mercy abound in his brightness name life glory Their brilliance adorns the universe And sing his sovereignty with joyous His greatness and goodness fills Good are the luminaries which our Rejoicing in rising and exalting in praise the universe God created setting He summoned the sun, and it shed Knowledge and wisdom surround Made with understanding, wisdom, With reverence they obey the will of its light his presence and insight their creator He set the cycle of the moon’s He endowed them with energy and phases Exalted is He by the celestial power All the armies of heaven give him beings To dominate within their sphere of praise Adorned in the glory by the the universe His glory and grandeur they proclaim mysteries of heaven – all the various celestial beings

"America was founded on the principle of inalienable rights, not dictated duties. The Declaration of Independence states that every human being has a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It does not state that he is born a slave to the needs of others." -- Alex Epstein American writer Source: John McCain’s Deadly Moral Code (2000.08.12 ) Capitalism Magazine Read the Prophets & PRAY WITHOUT CEASING! That is the only hope for this nation! Please Pray that the world would WAKE UP! Time for a worldwide repentance! Remember ALL US soldiers fighting for our freedom around the world These Pray for those in our government to repent of their wicked corrupt ways. Folks Pray for EL – Had clot embolized to brain – successful ‘clot buster’ but long road to go. In Pray for BB – Severe West Nile Fever –still not mobile- improving! Prayer- Pray for RBH – cancer recurrence Check often Pray for DH – Mother removed self from hospice but doing poorly. They Pray for GB – bad reaction from Cancer drug Change! Pray for Ella – Child with serious problems NOTE: Our prayer list was getting very long and there will little follow up. If you have people you want to have on the list please resubmit since we are revising it now– rdb]

Pray that The Holy One will lead you in Your preparations for handling the world problems. – Have YOU made any preparations? Genesis 34:21These men are peaceable with us; and, Let them live in the land and trade in it. And, behold, the land is wide on both hands before them. Let us take their daughters for ourselves for wives, and let us give our daughters to them. 22Only in this way will the men consent to us to live with us, to become one people: that every male of us be circumcised as they are circumcised. 23Shall not their livestock, and their property, and all their beasts of burden be ours? Only let us consent to them, and let them live with us. 24And all those going out of the gate of the city listened to Hamor, and to his son Shechem. And every male was circumcised, all those going out of the gate of the city.

‘Just the beginning’: UAE opens Tel Aviv embassy as sides hail ties President Isaac Herzog attends opening of mission at Stock Exchange building following agreement last year to normalize diplomatic ties By Tal Schneider Today, 10:40 am The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday formally inaugurated its embassy in Israel, capping a process that began with an agreement to normalize diplomatic relations nearly a year ago. The new UAE mission is housed in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange building, which hosted a ceremony Wednesday to open the embassy as new Israeli President Isaac Herzog looked on. UAE Ambassador Mohammad Mahmoud Al Khajah officially presented his credentials in the beginning of March but the official opening was not held until now. “It is a great honor to open the embassy here. Ten months ago our two countries signed the Abraham Accords with a vision of dignity, prosperity and peace for the two peoples,” Khajah said at the ceremony Wednesday. He added: “This is just the beginning. Both countries are innovative nations and we will harness these new approaches for the prosperity of the countries.” Herzog, who took office last week, hailed the embassy opening as an “important step for the entire Middle East.” pic.twitter.com/0fXysvOFFl בתל אביב UAEהנפת דגל ???????? talschneider) July 14, 2021@) טל שניידר تال شنايدر Tal Schneider — “To see the Emirati flag in the skies of Tel Aviv would have seemed a distant dream. Today it is a reality,” Herzog said. He also called for a further expansion of Israel’s diplomatic ties with regional states. “This blessed process cannot stop,” he said. “In my recent telephone conversations with leaders of the region, I again understand that we have more partners and allies in this mission than we thought.”

President Isaac Herzog (L) and Emirati Ambassador to Israel Mohammad Mahmoud Al Khajah cut the ribbon at the new UAE embassy in Tel Aviv on July 14, 2021. (Jack Guez/AFP)

The choice of location, in the TASE building, was no coincidence, and the Israeli and Emirati dignitaries rang a bell formally opening trading for the day. Both sides see the normalization deal as a major economic driver, joining Israeli tech prowess with Abu Dhabi’s access to world markets. Among the other dignitaries on hand were former foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi, who was Israel’s top diplomat when the Israel-UAE normalization pact was announced, and UAE Minister of Food and Water Security Mariam Al-Muhairi, who is currently visiting the country.

The new UAE embassy in Tel Aviv on July 14, 2021. (Jack Guez/AFP)

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid was not present at the inauguration. He entered quarantine Tuesday night after one of his aides contracted the coronavirus during a visit this week to Brussels. Lapid cheered the embassy opening as a “historic day.” “We will continue to expand the circle of peace and normalization,” he wrote on Twitter. Last month, Lapid visited the UAE in the first official trip by an Israeli minister to the Gulf state, where he inaugurated the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate in Dubai. The visit came nearly a year after Israel and the UAE announced they would normalize ties, and after months during which planned visits by Israeli officials were stymied by a series of issues, ranging from health crises to diplomatic scuffles. MORE- https://www.timesofisrael.com/just-the-beginning-uae-opens-tel-aviv-embassy-as-sides-hail-ties/ [I sit and wonder at the events going on. Two years ago you would never have considered this possibility. There was still the Khartoum “NO” accords in the Islamic world. It is slowly changing. – rdb]

Slovakia to open diplomatic mission in Jerusalem in September The Slovakia mission's move is seen as a victory for Israel’s campaign for recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. By TOVAH LAZAROFF JULY 14, 2021 22:15 Slovakia upgraded the status of the diplomatic mission it plans to open in Jerusalem in September so that it now falls under the country’s Foreign Ministry. It’s a move that is seen as a victory for Israel’s campaign against international refusal to recognize that Jerusalem – even west Jerusalem – is the capital of the Jewish state. The landlocked Central European country first pledged to open a cultural mission in Jerusalem in 2018, when former US president Donald Trump was in office and was pressing the international community to follow America’s lead in relocating its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. But its government has since changed, as has that of the United States and Israel. President Joe Biden has not prioritized international recognition of Jerusalem as had his predecessor. But then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed forward on the issue, with former foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi raising the matter with his Slovakian counterpart, Ivan Korcok. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid also spoke to Korcok about it. On Wednesday, the Slovakian foreign minister fixed the date for the opening of the diplomatic mission. “Slovakia is deepening relations with #Israel by opening the Slovak Institute in #Jerusalem on September 1, 2021,” Korcok tweeted. He was careful to underscore, however, his country’s commitment to a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the pre-1967 lines, which would place the Palestinian capital in east Jerusalem. Slovakia “continues to support the resumption of Middle East Peace Process & 2-state solution in line w/ international law,” he tweeted. His announcement came just two days after Lapid returned from Brussels, where he met with the European Union Foreign Affairs Council, which is a gathering of foreign ministers that included Korcok as well. Lapid tweeted Korcok’s announcement with the line, “Thank you minister @IvanKorcok for your important decision to open the Slovak Institute in Jerusalem. “This step is a symbol of your friendship and it will serve to strengthen the relations between our countries,” he added. Since the US Embassy relocation in 2018, only three other countries have placed their embassies in Jerusalem: Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo. Equatorial Guinea and Malawi have also pledged to open embassies in Jerusalem. The Czech Republic and Hungary have already given a nod in that direction by opening diplomatic offices in Jerusalem, both of which are seen as branches of the Tel Aviv embassies. The Hungarian, Czech and Slovakian moves are contrary to EU policy, which opposes any action on Jerusalem prior to a final-status agreement for a two-state resolution to the conflict.• https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/slovakia- to-open-diplomatic-mission-in-jerusalem-in-september-673861 [Probably the most exciting part of this announcement is that the Central Eastern EU countries are letting the EU know that they still have some independence and won’t be dominated by the communist EU government. – rdb]

Turkish ruling party: Turkey, Israel want to improve ties after presidents' call Comment comes days after Erdogan called to congratulate Herzog, with Justice and Development Party spokesman saying areas such as tourism and trade should be 'win-win' for both nations who have maintained strong bilateral trade amid political disputes Reuters, Ynet | Published: 07.14.21, 21:48 Turkey and Israel have agreed to work towards improving their strained relations after a rare phone call between their presidents, a spokesman for Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party said Wednesday. The two countries expelled ambassadors in 2018 after a bitter falling-out. Ankara has condemned Israel's occupation of the West Bank and its treatment of Palestinians, while Israel has called on Turkey to drop support for the Palestinian terror group Hamas that rules Gaza. Both sides say the other must move first for any rapprochement. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called his newly inaugurated Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog on Monday to congratulate him on taking office. Israel's presidency is a largely ceremonial office. "A framework emerged after this call under which advances should be made on several issues where improvements can be made, and where steps towards solving problematic areas should be taken," spokesman Omer Celik said after a meeting of the Justice and Development Party. Celik singled out the Palestinians as one of many issues Turkey wants to discuss with Israel, adding that areas such as tourism and trade should be a "win-win" for both nations. Bilateral trade has remained strong amid the political disputes. During the call, which came a day after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited Ankara, Erdogan told Herzog he valued maintaining dialogue and said Turkish-Israeli relations were key for regional stability. Erdogan also reiterated his support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, adding "positive steps" would also help Turkey's ties with Israel, his office said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slams Israeli policy at the UN General Assembly in New York, Sept ember 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

The two leaders discussed the high potential for cooperation between the countries in various fields such as energy, tourism and technology; stressing the importance of increasing bilateral trade between the countries amid the pandemic. "The presidents see great importance to the continuation of contacts and dialogue despite all the disagreements in order to promote positive steps to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that will also contribute to the improvement of Israeli-Turkish relations," a statement from Herzog's office said after the call. [That is a new tactic by Erdogan because I think they were instrumental in cutting off ties the last time. – rdb] In May, Erdogan branded Israel a "terror state" after Israeli police shot rubber bullets and stun grenades towards Palestinian youths at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem in the run-up to the 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas. Israel accuses Turkey of aiding members of Hamas. Turkey has also recently been trying to repair its frayed ties with Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Monday's call came a month after Naftali Bennett became prime minister, replacing Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom Erdogan had frequently traded barbs. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hkp00ro26o

IDF exposes Hezbollah weapons stash close to Lebanon school Army says materiel likely to be moved now its location revealed, will do everything in its power to avoid unnecessary casualties but will not hesitate to eliminate active targets; military also preparing for thousands of refugees approaching border should Lebanon completely collapse Yoav Zitun | Published: 07.14.21, 21:25 The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday released data on a building in the southern Lebanon village of Ebba that the Intelligence Division has identified as a weapons warehouse belonging to the Hezbollah terror group, located approximately 25 meters from a school. The IDF accused the Iranian proxy of deliberately utilizing civilian structures for what are effectively military uses. It said that Hezbollah intended to use the contents of the weapons store against both IDF soldiers and Israeli citizens. An IDF tweet showed an aerial shot of the alleged warehouse - and the school just 25 meters across the street. The school educates some 300 students from the first grade to the twelfth. Our intelligence can reveal that Hezbollah has built a weapons warehouse just 25 meters from a school in the village of Ebba, Lebanon. This endangers the lives of 300 children who attend the school. Hezbollah doesn't want you to RT this, but these innocent children need you to pic.twitter.com/FJyEyJZrIu — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 14, 2021 The army said that this was one of thousands of similar targets whose positioning is intended to endanger the lives of innocent Lebanese citizens. It said it would do everything in its power to avoid unnecessary Lebanese casualties but it would not hesitate to eliminate active targets. The army expressed the belief that the weapons would be removed once their location secret location had been exposed. Following the lessons of the demolition of a building in Gaza housing the AP news agency during the May conflict, the IDF intends to increase its store of pre-prepared documents proving the legitimacy of sensitive targets, including those in Lebanon. The aim is to immediately provide international bodies and foreign media with evidence of the presence of weapons in civilian sites that were targeted by the army. Meanwhile, the IDF has completed the formulation of its the "Shield of the North" plan for building a new wall and fence along a 145km stretch of the Lebanese border from Rosh Hanikra in the west to the foot of Mount Dov in the east. The project, which costs some NIS 3 billion, is now awaiting approval and budgeting from the government. In recent years, the IDF has reinforced the border in three vulnerable areas near the communities of Metula, Rosh Hanikra and Shlomi. It has also created physical obstacles such as cliffs and canals to counter the threat of Hezbollah infiltration. The IDF confirmed in recent days that it is preparing for a scenario of thousands of Lebanese refugees approaching the border, should Lebanon completely collapse due to its severe economic crisis. These preparation include an increase of troops in the border area and Defense Minister Benny Gantz has already offered to provide civilian aid to Lebanon through UNIFIL - the UN forces permanently stationed in the south of the country. The IDF believes that the Lebanese army will remain a unifying factor in the country and its disintegration would be the final straw leading to the collapse of the state. The military also believes that Hezbollah, as a government body that receives funding from Beirut, also has an interest in preventing a total collapse of the state. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hygvejn600

IDF advances settler E1 project ahead of Bennett-Biden meeting In a move likely to complicate Israel's relations with Washington, Bennett approved construction of 3,412 apartment units in the West Bank. By TOVAH LAZAROFF JULY 14, 2021 22:20

The E1 territory, located outside of Jerusalem and within the jurisdiction of the Ma'aleh Adumim settlement (photo credit: TOVAH LAZAROFF)

The Civil Administration has advanced a major settler building project, known as E1, in a move that is likely to complicate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s relations with both Washington and his left-wing coalition partners. This also comes as US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israel and Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr is visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pushed forward the project, which involves the construction of 3,412 apartment units in an unbuilt area of the West Bank Ma’aleh Adumim settlement, known as E1. The United States, the international community and the Palestinian Authority have objected to the plan, which they argue would prevent the contiguous development of a Palestinian state and render it unviable. The E1 project was first proposed during the tenure of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, but has been largely frozen over the last three decades. Netanyahu allowed for the project to be deposited before the Civil Administration’s Higher Planning Council for Judea and Samaria in February 2020, a move which brought the bureaucratic planning process close to completion. The left-wing NGOs Peace Now and Ir Amim filed an objection to the plan with the Civil Administration in August 2020. Both groups reported on Wednesday that a Civil Administration hearing date had been set for August 9. MK Mossi Raz, whose Meretz Party is part of the coalition, immediately responded that the government “would not authorize building in E1.” “This will never happen,” he said. The objections had frozen the advancement of the project. Should the Civil Administration’s appeals process uphold the plan, the matter could then move forward to the Higher Planning Council. After that, government tenders would also have to be issued before construction could begin. Peace Now appealed to the Defense Ministry to freeze the appeals process. “The Bennett-Lapid government has glorified itself in turning a new page with the world and the citizens of Israel, but promoting the plan in E1 shows the opposite and will bring us back to the dangerous policies furthered by Netanyahu,” the NGO said. “The defense minister can and must freeze this plan so that the Israeli interest is safeguarded and a wrong prevented,” Peace Now said. News of the E1 hearing comes as tensions are already high between the United States and the Bennett government over the issue of Israeli demolitions of illegal Palestinian homes in the West Bank and its policy of demolishing the homes of Palestinian terrorists accused of killing Israelis. MORE- https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/idf-advances-settler-e1-project-ahead-of- bennett-biden-meeting-673869 {More rhubarb from the leftist self-haters who want to concede the world to terrorists and become subserviate to them, which is what happens when you give in to islamists. – rdb]

Bennett mulls visiting DC on a weekend, to avoid missing Knesset votes Timeframe for Biden meeting would be very tight due to coalition’s wafer-thin majority, opposition filibusters, Shabbat observance and US presidents not holding meetings on Sundays By Tal Schneider Today, 5:04 pm Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is considering planning his potential upcoming trip to the United States over a weekend in an effort to avoid missing crucial Knesset votes back at home, a diplomatic source with knowledge of the matter told The Times of Israel on Wednesday. Following then-president Reuven Rivlin’s visit to the White House two weeks ago, US President Joe Biden extended an invitation to Bennett to travel to the White House “as early as possible.” Over the past two weeks, the offices of the two leaders have been trying to coordinate a suitable date for Bennett’s first official visit since he took office. Bennett will make the trip around mid-August, Channel 12 News reported on Wednesday. Topping the agenda for talks with Biden will be developments in Iran and the recent election of a new president in that country, hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, the Israeli television report said. Bennett’s office is weighing holding such a trip between a Thursday and a Monday in order to avoid letting the opposition, led by former premier Benjamin Netanyahu, take advantage of his absence to vote down government-proposed legislation or pass its own motions, the source told The Times of Israel. The Knesset holds plenum sessions on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and the opposition has been urging all of its members to attend, deliver lengthy speeches and file a torrent of reservations to filibuster the meetings and drag them on for hours — frequently spilling over into the early morning hours of Thursday. [Bibi doing anything to try to regain power. – rdb] The coalition enjoys a wafer-thin 61-59 majority in the parliament and requires full attendance at most plenum sessions. But a weekend trip to Washington DC could create problems of its own. The schedule would be extremely tight since it is customary for Israeli leaders to not work or hold official meetings on the Shabbat day of rest, which begins Friday shortly before sundown and lasts roughly 25 hours until Saturday night. That’s in addition to the fact that Bennett himself is an observant Jew who keeps Shabbat. He also would likely not want to hold such an important meeting on Friday morning or afternoon Washington time, when it would be nearing Shabbat in Israel and the proceedings would garner significantly less media attention. Moreover, US presidents usually don’t hold official meetings or have a public schedule on Sundays, meaning the window for a Bennett-Biden meeting would likely only be Thursday. That would require that Bennett leave Israel early Thursday morning and hold the meeting before it is Thursday night in Israel. The Knesset will break for recess starting August 8, and the US Congress will also be in recess. Hence, if the visit is postponed to the second half of August, Bennett would miss out on formally meeting congressional leaders, part of a regular routine when Israeli prime ministers visit DC. The trip would be the first meeting between Bennett and Biden and the premier’s first public international trip since taking office last month. Last month, Bennett accused the opposition and its leader, Netanyahu, of trying to harm Israel-US ties just to challenge his new government, after a false report claimed Biden was planning to revoke his predecessor Donald Trump’s recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli, and after Netanyahu slammed Bennett for allegedly giving up Israel’s right to independently attack Iranian nuclear sites. In another diplomatic development, German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Israel at the end of August following an invitation from Bennett. Merkel last visited Israel in 2018. During the upcoming trip, she will also meet with Israel’s new president Isaac Herzog, reports said. Germany will hold federal elections in September and Merkel, who has been chancellor since 2005, will not seek a fifth term in office. https://www.timesofisrael.com/bennett-mulls-visiting-dc-on-a-weekend-to-avoid-missing-knesset- votes/

Knesset rejects bill to provide compensation to Meron disaster victims UTJ’s Ya’akov Asher’s proposal falls in a 59-55 vote; minister says government has not yet formulated its position on the issue By Emanuel Fabian and TOI staff Today, 6:24 pm A proposal to compensate families of victims of the April 30 disaster at Mount Meron — which left 45 people dead and over 150 injured in a deadly crush — failed to pass a preliminary Knesset vote Wednesday. The bill, submitted by opposition MK Ya’akov Asher (United Torah Judaism), was shot down 59-55, as the government said it had not yet formulated a position on the matter, according to a minister in the Finance Ministry, Hamad Amar. The bill proposed a financial framework to assist the victims of the Meron disaster, which included the formation of a committee that would formulate criteria for the compensation, including the number of victims in a family and its sources of income. However, Amar — who is from the Yisrael Beytenu party — said the current wording of the law would lead to excessive costs. He said his office would examine the budgetary implications at a later date. The committee that Asher proposed would be comprised of 11 members, including representatives of the Justice Ministry, Labor Welfare and Social Services Ministry, Finance Ministry, Health Ministry, Public Security Ministry, Religious Affairs Ministry, Prime Minister’s Office, National Insurance Institute, two public officials as well as a retired judge, It proposed that the committee would submit its recommendations to the Finance Ministry within 45 days of the law taking effect, and the Treasury would then submit the compensation plan to the Knesset’s Finance Committee within 45 days for approval. However, the coalition on Wednesday voted against the current proposal. Amar said in-depth research would need to be conducted to formulate an appropriate assistance plan for the victims, and he proposed that his office would carry this out. The Meron tragedy occurred on April 30, as thousands celebrating Lag B’Omer festivities at the gravesite of the second-century sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai streamed through a narrow walkway. The passage was covered with metal flooring, which may have been wet, causing some people to fall underfoot during the rush for the exit. Some apparently fell on the walkway and down a flight of stairs at its end, toppling onto those below and precipitating a fatal crushing domino effect. MORE- https://www.timesofisrael.com/knesset-rejects-bill-to-provide-compensation-to-meron-disaster-victims/ [This is interesting. The Lag B’Omer event was not a government sponsored event and attendance was voluntary. I understand that there were a tremendous number of people involved and injured or killed but is it the government’s responsibility to fund those individuals. Most should have government health insurance to cover the injured. I can expect some very strong sentiment and arguments from Liberman and many in the secular world about trying to help fund these people. – rdb]

Ex-Yisrael Beytenu MK Kirshenbaum sentenced to 10 years in bribery case Tel Aviv court says misuse of government funds by former deputy minister was unique in scale; defense pans ‘disproportionate, cruel’ ruling, vows to appeal By Michael Bachner Today, 12:36 pm

Former Yisrael Beytenu MK Faina Kirshenbaum arrives for her sentencing at the Tel Aviv District Court on July 14, 2021, charged with corruption crimes including bribery, fraud and money laundering. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Former Yisrael Beytenu Knesset member Faina Kirshenbaum was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison for her role in arranging a wide-reaching kickback scheme considered one of the largest political corruption cases in years. In handing down the sentence, which is years more than other senior politicians have received for graft convictions in the past, the Tel Aviv District Court accepted the prosecution’s arguments in full and said Kirshenbaum’s conduct had been systematic and uniquely large-scale. Kirshenbaum, a former deputy interior minister, was convicted in March of bribery, tax offenses, money laundering, fraud and breach of trust. She is one of the main figures in a far-reaching corruption investigation into the Yisrael Beytenu party, which has been chaired by current Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman since he founded it in 1999. Liberman himself is not a suspect in the case. Announcing the longest jail term ever imposed on a Knesset member, Judge Yaron Levy said Kirshenbaum had taken bribes in a “systematic, cunning and sophisticated” manner over six years from eight separate, unconnected sources, amounting to some NIS 2 million ($604,415), repeating comments he made when he announced the verdict. The benefits and cash were used by Kirshenbaum, members of her family, confidants and the Yisrael Beytenu party, he said. As the Yisrael Beytenu official in charge of coalition funds, Kirshenbaum “exploited her leadership power to illegitimately favor her personal interests.” “The depth of the defendant’s corruption and the severity and multiplicity of her actions are unique,” Levy said. Kirshenbaum “skillfully developed an endless variety of ways and excuses to circumvent the rules of proper administration and use public money as if it were her own,” Levy said, noting that she wielded “great power” over millions of shekels every year. She is set to start her prison term — from which her time in police custody will be subtracted — on September 5. She was also handed a fine of NIS 900,000 ($274,000). The court also sentenced former Agriculture Ministry director-general Rami Cohen to 30 months behind bars for assisting Kirschenbaum in the scheme. He was previously convicted of bribery and money laundering for his role. Kirshenbaum’s defense team called the sentence “disproportionate, cruel and merciless,” vowing to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. Rami Cohen’s lawyers similarly said they would appeal. Previously the party’s director-general, Kirshenbaum was elected to the Knesset in 2009 and served as deputy minister from 2013 to 2015. She resigned shortly after she was named as a suspect in the investigation. She was accused, along with former party headquarters chief David Godovsky, of inappropriately funneling large sums of money to various organizations. In return, those groups allegedly made nepotistic appointments, and also circulated some of the favors back to public service officials in the form of cash kickbacks and benefits. MORE- https://www.timesofisrael.com/ex-yisrael-beytenu-mk-kirshenbaum-sentenced-to-10-years-in-bribery-case/ [That is a really heavy hit for a politician. Makes you wonder if there was more to it than this article describes. – rdb]

Iron Dome almost knocked out Israeli F-15 during recent Gaza fighting Interceptor missile locked onto jet, mistaking it for rocket fired by terror organization from the Strip; IDF says incident is under investigation By TOI staff Today, 10:08 pm An Iron Dome missile nearly hit an Israeli jet during the recent conflict between Israel and Gaza- based terror groups, the Israel Air Force acknowledged Wednesday. According to Channel 12 news, an interceptor missile, fired at a rocket launched from Gaza during the fighting in May, accidentally locked onto an F-15 plane flying over the Strip. The errant interceptor was detonated by Iron Dome operators moments before hitting the jet, the report said, adding that shrapnel from the interceptor hit the plane. A Channel 13 report, by contrast, said the interceptor was fired deliberately at the F-15, having misidentified it as a rocket heading into Israel. It was “a miracle” that nobody was hurt, the report said. Both TV reports said the IAF confirmed the incident took place and noted that it unfolded at the height of the conflict during heavy barrages of rockets fired at Israel from Gaza. The military said that lessons were being learned from the incident. “This is a complex incident, in which the Air Force is required to intercept rockets and at the same time attack Gaza,” the military said in a statement to Channel 12. “We are investigating the incident to make improvements, as well as continuing to carry out missions for the sake of the safety of those in Israel.” The incident reported on Wednesday was not the first publicly acknowledged occasion in which Iron Dome locked onto an Israel aircraft. In the wake of the fighting, the army admitted that the missile defense system had shot down one of the IDF’s drones. According to the Haaretz daily, which first reported the Skylark drone’s downing, the incident caused concern in the Israeli Air Force, noting the need for the country’s air defenses to be able to identify enemy aircraft and down them. The report, which did not cite a source, said the Iron Dome’s ability to differentiate between hostile and non-hostile aircraft was the main reason an international aviation authority gave Israel the green light to keep its airspace open to commercial flights during the fighting. During Operation Guardian of the Walls — the IDF’s name for the 11 days of hostilities that began on May 10, after Hamas fired rockets at Jerusalem amid escalating Israeli-Palestinian tensions over the city — Gaza terror groups fired more than 4,300 rockets toward Israel, many of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome system. The IDF responded with roughly 1,500 airstrikes against targets in Gaza, as well as intercepting a number of drones launched toward Israel. https://www.timesofisrael.com/iron-dome-almost-knocked-out-israeli-f-15-during-recent-gaza-fighting/ [Obviously Israel officials have thought of the possibility of this happening but I would hope they would devise some fail safe system so that it can’t happen. Putting some form of transceiver on their planes which deflects Iron Dome missiles or some other system. Friendly fire incidents are really bad for any military. – rdb]

Israel to crack down on indoor masks as 'Delta pandemic' surges Warning new strain 'far more contagious than original virus,' PM says police will be issuing heavy fines to anyone in enclosed location without face covering, as it is unfair for some to endanger rest of population; calls for people stop 'hugging and kissing,' urges against foreign travel Adir Yanko | Published: 07.14.21, 18:45 Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Wednesday announced three new measures aimed at countering what he called the "Delta pandemic" in Israel, which has seen its total number of coronavirus cases soar from a little over 200 nationwide last month to more than 5,000 at present. The new measures include the enforcement of masks in enclosed spaces and fines for anyone who fails to do so; a return to social distancing, in particular at large events; and a recommendation for Israelis not to travel abroad.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett outlines Israel's three steps to counter the 'Delta pandemic,' July 14, 2021 (Photo: EPA) New daily infections in Israel climbed to more than 700 on Wednesday despite one of the world's fastest inoculation campaigns. More than 5.7 million people of Israel's population of 9.3 million have been vaccinated at least once and some 5.2 million people have received two doses. The number of serious cases of COVID-19 in Israel has also leapt from 33 on July 6 to 53 on Wednesday. "We are in a true Delta pandemic," the prime minister warned at a press conference from Jerusalem, flanked by Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Nachman Ash, Public Health chief Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz. The Delta variant of the coronavirus "is far more contagious than the original virus and we are seeing an increase [in cases] all over the world. There are a lot more sick and a lot more dying," Bennett said. "In the past year and a half, more than 6,400 people have died in Israel and the country was shut down," he said.

Passengers wear face masks on a Tel Aviv bus as the coronavirus spreads once again in Israel (Photo: Nadv Abas)

The prime minister said that returning to lockdown would be the easy option but would be a "last resort." "The easiest thing is to do is what they did in the last year and a half and declare a closure. We may yet reach that point, but imprisoning people in their homes is the last resort," he said. "We want to reach an understanding with the public. We as a government will talk to you on the same level [and] I am asking you to do three things," he said. "From now on, everyone wears masks indoors. True, it's a little unpleasant, but it's a small price to pay compared to closures. The masks are the most effective protection against the Delta pandemic... It works. I am not asking you; this is required by law," he said. [It is not only unpleasant it is a hazard to your health to wear a mask. I am aghast at the approach Israel continues to take with this. – rdb] "As such, from this moment on, the Israel Police have been directed by me to enforce the wearing of masks. Anyone in an enclosed location without a mask will be required to pay a heavy fine. This is fair, for it is wrong for some people to endanger the rest of the public," Bennett said. Israel has a standing mask-wearing mandate for people gathering indoors, but adherence is poor, even on public transit and in hospitals, and enforcement is lax. Bennett called on people to also observe social distancing, in particular at mass gatherings. "This means we will have to stop shaking hands. You can [greet one another] with an elbow. We have to stop hugging and kissing other than with family members," he said. The prime minister also lashed out at the handling of the pandemic by the previous government, which was replaced by his own coalition last month. "Until a few weeks ago any Israeli could fly to any country. Many Israelis went to the reddest cities in the world - and no one stopped them. The way was wide open for mutations," he said. "Severe neglect took place here for a year and a half. This was the Yom Kippur of handling the coronavirus," he said, referring to the 1973 war that took Israel by surprise with near disastrous consequences. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/b1p4ionpu

US lawmakers castigated Abbas for terror payments during ‘tense’ Ramallah meet He said families would be penniless without ‘welfare’ money; they asked if PA also pays cancer victims; opposed his call for Israel-Arab deals to wait ’til Palestinian issue solved By Jacob Magid Today, 8:40 am A visiting congressional delegation expressed their disapproval over payments to terrorists and their families during a meeting in Ramallah with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas last week, several members of Congress told The Times of Israel Tuesday. One congressperson described last week’s closed-door meeting with 10 visiting members of Congress as “tense at times, as it was clear that we didn’t see eye to eye on a number of issues.” The source spoke on condition of anonymity. Ramallah’s policy of paying stipends to Palestinians jailed for security offenses and the families of deceased attackers has long been a point of contention with Washington. While Israel argues that the payments encourage terror activity, Abbas has vowed to maintain the stipends, which the Palestinians view as a form of welfare and a national responsibility. Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC) said there was a “great deal of discussion” on the Taylor Force Act, which was passed by Congress in 2018 and suspended US aid to the PA as long as it continued to implement the existing welfare policy, which awards stipends to prisoners based on the length of their sentence. “We emphasized that such payments are completely and totally unacceptable,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL).

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas hosts a Congressional delegation at his Ramallah office on July 8, 2021. (WAFA)

The congress members said Abbas defended the policy as a necessary form of welfare, without which the families of attackers would be left penniless. When pressed whether the PA offers similar stipends to families after a parent dies of cancer, the Palestinian officials present said they were working to establish such a support system and were in the process of reforming their existing policy. The sides also failed to come together on the Abraham Accords, which Abbas urged the 10- member bipartisan delegation not to advance until after the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was solved, Schneider told The Times of Israel. Schneider has introduced legislation in the House to place US financial support behind efforts to strengthen the existing normalization agreements Israel has signed with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco and expand the Abraham Accords to include additional countries in the region. “We were clear that normalization is good for the region, including the Palestinians,” Schneider recalled. “We said it would continue, that the Palestinians should take the opportunity to move it forward, rather than resist and hold it back.” He was unaware of any additional countries on the brink of normalizing with Israel, but noted that some of the previous agreements came about at the last minute with little warning. Abbas opened the Thursday meeting by emphasizing his support for a two-state solution, which the Biden administration backs. Abbas “stressed the need to take practical steps to give the Palestinian people hope for achieving peace through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and based on the pre-1967 borders,” according to the official PA Wafa news agency. The US lawmakers appeared to have been unimpressed with the Palestinian leader, with Schneider noting that “Abbas is considered out of touch with the Palestinian people and has demonstrated over the years an unwillingness to make the hard choices.” Manning appeared to place the blame for the impasse in peace talks on Abbas, rejecting his claim that Israel had never made a serious offer for a deal. Sitting alongside Abbas at the meeting was PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh and Intelligence Chief Majed Faraj. The meeting at the PA presidential headquarters was one of three the congressional delegation held in Ramallah, also meeting with high school students in a US Agency for International Development funded program aimed at improving their English skills, as well as a group of Palestinian business leaders. Manning said the latter meeting was the most productive of the three, with the Palestinians presenting the specific hurdles they face in growing their businesses and stimulating the economy. They lamented the difficulty in getting potential investors into the West Bank and requested American assistance with the matter, the lawmaker said. “They seemed like suggestions we ought to be discussing and considering,” Manning said, noting that they “go hand in hand” with the Biden administration’s efforts to “strengthen the PA.” The White House has sought to re-establish ties with Ramallah after they were severed during the Donald Trump administration. US President Joe Biden has reinstalled millions of dollars in aid for the West Bank and Gaza and announced plans to reopen the consulate in Jerusalem that served as a de facto mission to the Palestinians. However, Washington is limited in the degree to which it can embrace the PA, given existing Congressional legislation. MORE- https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-lawmakers-pushed-abbas-on-terror-payments-during-tense-ramallah- meet/ [Abbas is a man who has no concept of truth nor does he understand reality of his situation. The “PA” is totally dependent on pressure and support from the international community for financial matters and for trying to strongarm Israel into submitting to their demands. – rdb]

IDF nabs dozens of Hamas activists after solidarity visit to attacker’s village Army says roughly 30 detained outside Turmus Aya are members of Hamas student faction at Birzeit University and include individuals directly involved in terror activity By TOI staff Today, 3:17 am

Birzeit University students visit the demolished home of Muntasir Shalabi in Turmus Ayya on July 14, 2021. (Courtesy)

The IDF said it arrested dozens of Hamas activists Wednesday after they paid a solidarity visit to the West Bank village of a Palestinian accused of killing an Israeli student. In a joint operation with Border Police and the Shin Bet, Israeli security forces raided two buses full of Palestinian university students as they were making their way out of Turmus Ayya. The students taken into custody had visited the home of Montasir Shalabi, which the IDF demolished last week as part of its controversial policy aimed at deterring future attacks. The suspects were part of Hamas’s student faction at Birzeit University, the IDF said in a statement, adding that “some of the arrested activists were directly involved in terrorist activities, which included money transfers, incitement and the organization of Hamas activities in the West Bank.” The IDF did not specify how many activists it had detained, but Hebrew media said that roughly half of the 60 students on board the buses had been brought in for questioning. An invitation for Wednesday’s student event posted on social media read, “the Hamas student faction at Birzeit University invites you to attend a visit to the family of the heroic prisoner Montasir Shalabi, who carried out the heroic [attack] at the [Tapuah Junction].” Shalabi has been charged with killing Yehuda Guetta, 19, at the Tapuah Junction in the northern West Bank on May 2. The shooting attack also injured two other Israeli teenagers, one of them seriously.

Yehuda Guetta, 19, was killed in a drive-by shooting in the West Bank (courtesy)

The 44-year-old is suspected of driving to the northern West Bank’s Tapuah Junction and opening fire at the group of Israeli students from a yeshiva in the nearby Itamar settlement. The father of seven was eventually arrested following a three-day manhunt, an hour after Guetta succumbed to his injuries. Shalabi is a dual US-Palestinian citizen, and senior US officials reached out to their Israeli counterparts imploring them not to move forward with the demolition on the grounds that the alleged attacker’s family should not have to pay for the actions of their father and husband. But the IDF went forward with the razing, angering the Biden administration, which vowed to continue voicing its objections over the matter. The Axios news site reported Wednesday that the move led House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Gregory Meeks to phone Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, chastising Jerusalem for the demolition, which took place while the US lawmaker was in Israel leading a congressional delegation. https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-arrests-dozens-of- palestinians-after-solidarity-visit-to-village-of-attacker/

Explosion at office building in Tehran - report The explosion comes amid an increase in mysterious explosions in Iran's capital over the past few months. By TZVI JOFFRE JULY 15, 2021 04:32 An explosion was reported at an office building in western Tehran on Wednesday night, according to Voice of America. As of yet, there has been no official confirmation of the report. Footage shared on social media showed emergency services, including ambulances, at the scene. A heavily damaged building could be seen in the footage. The background of the incident and the exact location of the incident are as of yet unclear. ️⚡ کاربران در شبکههای اجتماعی از شنیدن صدای انفجار در حوالی »شهران« در غرب تهران خبر میدهند. در تصاویر منتشر شده نیز نیروهای امنیتی، و خودروهای آمبوالنس و آتشنشانی در محل دیده میشوند. تا این pic.twitter.com/Z1JkaO6j5Iلحظه اخبار رسمی درباره جزئیات این حادثه منتشر نشده است. — VOA Farsi (@VOAIran) July 14, 2021 A series of explosions and fires have hit industrial sites and government facilities across Iran, including a number of petrochemical plants and nuclear facilities, in recent weeks and over the past year. Iranian officials have referred to most of the cases as incidents or accidents, although some of the incidents have been blamed on Israel by Iranian officials or reportedly involved foul play. Aging infrastructure in Iran has also been blamed for at least some of the incidents. Frequent blackouts have been plaguing Iran recently amid the summer heat. Last month, a sabotage operation against a building likely used to produce centrifuges for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) in Karaj caused major damage, The Jerusalem Post learned. In April, thousands of centrifuges were reportedly damaged in an explosion at a nuclear facility in Natanz. The explosion was the fifth such incident at Natanz in the past 15 years, according to Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani, former head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/explosion-at-office-building-in-tehran-report-673886

Gantz: We must ‘adapt our plans’ to prepare for a nuclear Iran Prime minister says Israel carefully monitoring situation in Lebanon and that IDF currently in better place than it was in 2006 war against Hezbollah By Judah Ari Gross Today, 1:02 am

Defense Minister Benny Gantz speaks at a graduation ceremony for Israel's National Defense College outside Tel Aviv on July 14, 2021. (Israel Defense Forces)

Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Wednesday called for Israel to step up its preparations for the possibility of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. “Against the greatest threat — Iran arming itself with a nuclear weapon — we have no choice but to expand our force build-up, to continue to rely on our human capital and to adapt our capabilities and our plans,” Gantz said at a graduation ceremony for Israel’s National Defense College outside Tel Aviv. In recent months, the United States and Iran have been negotiating a mutual return to the 2015 nuclear deal, but these talks have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, increasing the likelihood that Tehran will fully abandon the accord. Israel has maintained that as it is not part of the nuclear deal, it is free to act as it sees fit to prevent Iran from obtaining an atomic bomb. In his speech, Gantz called for the government to allow the country’s security services to “maintain military superiority, which ensures our secure existence and advances peace.” The remark appeared to refer to a report by the Kan broadcaster earlier in the evening that the IDF was asking the government for a major budget increase, in large part to prepare itself to conduct strikes aimed at thwarting Iran’s nuclear pursuit. “All of these threats demand that we speed up and increase our preparedness to carry out our mission with an iron wall of action and not to get by with just words,” Gantz said. Speaking at the same event, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned of threats coming from Lebanon, which has seen an unprecedented financial crisis.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks at a graduation ceremony for Israel’s National Defense College outside Tel Aviv on July 14, 2021. (Israel Defense Forces)

“Lebanon is on the verge of — or even I’d say in the midst of — a collapse, like every country that Iran takes over and establishes itself within,” he said. “We have a joint enemy with the citizens of Lebanon: Iran and Hezbollah,” the premier said, adding that, unlike the Lebanese, Israel has the capabilities to counter those threats. The premier said Israel was carefully monitoring the situation in Lebanon and was prepared to act should Hezbollah attempt to attack Israel. “We will not allow any country or terrorist organization to threaten the State of Israel, its security, its sovereignty or its people,” Bennett said. The premier’s remarks came as Israel marked 15 years since the outbreak of the 2006 Second Lebanon War — a military campaign that was marred by mismanagement and malfunction within the IDF and the government. “Some of these [problems] I experienced from up close, as the commander of a reserve unit that operated deep inside enemy territory. Like everyone I saw the confusion, the helplessness, the lack of orders, of clear lines and clear spirit,” Bennett said. “Today we’re in a different place,” he said. https://www.timesofisrael.com/gantz-we-must-adapt-our-plans-to-prepare-for-a-nuclear- iran/

Rouhani warns Iran could enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels Outgoing Iranian president claims Tehran ‘can do anything in the peaceful path,’ criticizes ruling theocracy for not letting government seal agreement to restore 2015 nuclear deal By Nasser Karimi Today, 12:40 pm

In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani speaks in a cabinet meeting in Tehran, Iran, July 14, 2021. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s outgoing president on Wednesday warned his country could enrich uranium at weapons-grade levels of 90 percent if it chose, though it still wanted to save its tattered nuclear deal with world powers. President Hassan Rouhani’s comments, carried by the state-run IRNA news agency, came as he also criticized Iran’s wider theocracy for not allowing his government to reach a deal soon to restore the 2015 atomic accord. Rouhani’s powers have waned as the public soured on his government amid an economy suffering under US sanctions. But his remarks signal Iran could take a more belligerent approach with the West as hardline President-elect Ebrahim Raisi is due to take office next month. Rouhani made the 90% remark in a cabinet meeting. It is rare for him to suggest Tehran could take that approach. “Even if one day there is a need for 90% enrichment for a reactor, we do not have any problem and we are able,” Rouhani said, according to IRNA. “We can do anything in the peaceful path.” The 2015 nuclear deal, which saw Iran gain relief from those crushing sanctions, limited Tehran’s program to enriching only up to 3.67% — enough to power a civilian nuclear reactor. It now enriches a small amount of uranium up to 60%, a short step from weapons-grade levels. Rouhani also complained that hardliners outside of his relatively moderate government had blocked its efforts to reach a deal in Vienna. For months, negotiators have been trying to find a way for Iran to return to the limits of the deal and for the US to rejoin the accord from which then-president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew. A new round of Vienna negotiations has yet to be scheduled, and the West has expressed frustration at Tehran for seeming unwilling to seal the deal. Rouhani said he hoped Raisi’s administration “will be able to finish the job.” “There is no difference if the current or next administration will be successful, but we are very sorry that nearly six months of opportunity has been lost,” he said. https://www.timesofisrael.com/rouhani-warns-iran-could-enrich-uranium- to-weapons-grade-levels/

DHS chief: Cubans fleeing communism not allowed in U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz reacts to 'contradictory messaging' By Art Moore Published July 14, 2021 at 3:08pm People fleeing communist tyranny in Cuba – even if they demonstrate fear of persecution – and political unrest in Haiti will not be given refuge in the United States, warned Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. "Allow me to be clear: if you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States," he said Tuesday. Mayorkas, who fled Cuba with his family in 1960, spotlighted the dangers of traversing the Caribbean Sea and the Florida Straits by boat.

Alejandro Mayorkas (Video screenshot)

Over the weekend, protesters took to the streets across Cuba in the biggest public demonstrations in nearly three decades. The impoverished nation of Haiti has been rocked by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Mayorkas said anyone who reaches the U.S. by sea will be intercepted by the Coast Guard and immediately returned. "If individuals make, establish a well-founded fear of persecution or torture, they are referred to third countries for resettlement," Mayorkas said. "They will not enter the United States." See video of Majorkas' remarks: DHS Secretary Mayorkas had a message for Cuban refugees fleeing communist tyranny: "If you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States." pic.twitter.com/wHumF2NeuR — The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 14, 2021 Critics charged the Biden administration with hypocrisy, noting asylum-seekers are being let in the Southern border who come from Central American countries that don't fit the definition of systemic oppression, as does Cuba. The U.S. had a "wet feet, dry feet policy" in which any Cuban caught at sea between the two nations would be returned to Cuba or sent to a third country. Anyone who set foot on the shore was allowed to remain. The policy was discontinued under President Obama. Prior to 1995, anyone who reached U.S. territorial waters was allowed to remain in the country. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who father fled Cuba, was asked Wednesday by Fox News' John Roberts to react to Mayorkas' remarks, noting the "contradictory messaging" between policies for the Southern border and for Cubans. "It seems that for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris the only immigrants on the face of the earth that they don't want to come to America are Cuban," he said. "That's the only instance in which the Biden administration is expressing a resistance to people coming here illegally." In Texas, Cruz said, the federal government essentially has opened the border. The senator said Biden needs to declare the communist dictatorship in Cuba is "evil, it is oppressive; they are murderers, they are torturers, and the people want freedom." "Unfortunately, the Biden administration has been lukewarm at best on that simple and clear messaging," he said. See video of Cruz's remarks: WATCH: @tedcruz reacts to the fourth day of anti-government protests in Cuba and DHS Secretary Mayorkas' message to those who might be considering the journey to the U.S. #AmericaReports pic.twitter.com/MpneXLspNI — America Reports (@AmericaRpts) July 14, 2021 https://www.wnd.com/2021/07/4930617/ [Aren’t these the nitwits that were preaching to every one when Trump was trying to close the border that ‘Diversity is our greatest strength and the absolute demonstration of the character of America’? So it is OK to invade from Mexico but you can’t come by sea. The essence of leftist communist “Bi-dumb” people is The Double Standard in almost everything. – rdb]

Stunning report: Vote recount in 1 county had 60% error rate Results part of lawsuit over allegations of 2020 presidential election fraud By Bob Unruh Published July 14, 2021 at 8:35pm There were 100 lawsuits over the vote count for the 2020 presidential election, and essentially none was considered on merits as court after court cited technicalities in letting stand the suspicion results of Joe Biden's victory. But now investigations and audits may be showing what actually happened, and whether, in fact, Biden was elected. The Gateway Pundit has posted an announcement from VoterGA which is charging that evidence "from public records" has revealed Fulton County's hand count audit was "riddled with massive errors and provable fraud." The allegations arise from VoterGA's review of images of mail-in ballots that a judge ordered the county to make available. "The team's analysis revealed that 923 of 1439 mail-in ballot batch files contained votes incorrectly reported in Fulton's official November 3rd 2020 results," the report said. "These inaccuracies are due to discrepancies in votes for Donald Trump, Joe Biden and total votes cast compared to their reported audit totals for respective batches. Thus, the error reporting rate in Fulton's hand count audit is a whopping 60%." Such discrepancies are significant, as Biden's victory is based on victories in six swing states, including Georgia. And in those swing states, Biden's margin of victory numbered in the few thousands. VoterGA reported, "One type of error discovered involved duplicate results reporting for batches of ballots. The team found at least 36 batches of mail-in ballots with 4,255 total extra votes were redundantly added into Fulton Co. audit results for the November election. These illicit votes include 3,390 extra votes for Joe Biden, 865 extra votes for Donald Trump and 43 extra votes for Jo Jorgenson." Then, too, the tea "found 7 falsified audit tall sheets containing fabricated vote totals for their respective batches. For example, a batch containing 59 actual ballot images for Joe Biden, 42 for Donald Trump and 1 for Joe Jorgenson was reported as 100 for Biden and 0 for Trump." And VoterGA explained the county still has declined to provide drop box transfer forms for thousands of ballots that provide chain of custody proof. The organization said it is using the new information in an amended complaint that targets fraud in the 2020 election results. The Gateway Pundit noted President Trump's reaction: "The news coming out of Georgia is beyond incredible. The hand recount in Fulton County was a total fraud! They stuffed the ballot box—and got caught. We will lose our country if this is allowed to stand." https://www.wnd.com/2021/07/stunning-report-vote-recount-1-county-60-error-rate/ [Tucker Carlson had an excellent expose on this on his Wednesday program. You might want to find it and listen. – rdb]

Arizona Senate president says 2020 election audit's ballot count differs from Maricopa tally Daniel Chaitin 1 day ago Ballots counted in the Arizona Senate's audit of the 2020 election differs from the tally by Maricopa County officials. That's what Senate President Karen Fann said in an interview on Tuesday in which she also noted that the discrepancy prompted the legislature to acquire new machines — "not Dominion’s, separate ones" — to again count the ballots. An official canvass report released by the county, which includes Phoenix, said 2,089,563 ballots were cast in November's election. Fann said she did not know the size of the discrepancy. "They haven’t released a number yet," Fann told conservative radio host Mike Broomhead on KTAR. "However, we do know that those numbers do not match with Maricopa County at this point." President Joe Biden won Arizona by more than 10,000 votes out of more than 3.3 million cast across the state. His lead of roughly 2 percentage points was due partly to his advantage in Maricopa County, where the Democrat scored nearly 45,000 more votes than former President Donald Trump. Trump and his allies claim the 2020 contest was stolen, even though election officials have denied seeing evidence of widespread fraud, and have heralded the Maricopa County audit as a means to undergird their allegations after courts around the country rejected lawsuits challenging the results. The remaining count of ballots in Maricopa County will not be a recount of the election contests. A hand recount of votes in the presidential and U.S. Senate races, all won by Democrats, has already been completed and officials involved in the audit have predicted a report will be released later in the summer. Maricopa County officials, who opposed the Arizona Senate's audit in court until a judge ruled its subpoenas were "legal and enforceable," previously authorized two election machine audits that found no irregularities in the county's 2020 election. There was also a recount of a sample of ballots that did not turn up any problems. Jack Sellers, the GOP chairman of Maricopa County’s Board of Supervisors, told the Arizona Mirror in a statement that he was not surprised the state Senate's "woefully underqualified" audit team came up with a different ballot tally than the "experienced professionals" in his county’s elections department. Maricopa County officials announced last month their voting machines subpoenaed for the audit will be removed from service after Arizona's Democratic secretary of state, Katie Hobbs, threatened to decertify the equipment citing concerns with the methods of Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based firm hired to lead the review. Fann defended Cyber Ninjas, which has been criticized for a lack of prior audit experience. "I’m confident because it’s not just them,” she said. “Everybody keeps just counting on them when actually they are working with a number of other contractors that have experience in audits and in their expertise in their own fields. … This is a joint effort.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/arizona-senate-president-says-2020-election-audit-s-ballot-count-differs-from- maricopa-tally/ar-AAM7zFK?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531 [Now if only there can be audits in PA and MI and WI. – rdb]

Woman With ‘Life-Altering’ Injuries After COVID Vaccine Teams Up With U.S. Senators to Demand Answers Brianne Dressen, who accumulated more than $250,000 in medical bills after participating in AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine clinical trial, is collaborating with two U.S. Senators to get help for others injured by COVID vaccines. By Megan Redshaw 07/14/21 A Utah woman and two U.S. senators are teaming up to get answers from federal health agencies about life-altering injuries people have experienced after receiving a COVID vaccine. Brianne Dressen is a preschool teacher from Utah who was injured after participating in AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine clinical trial in November 2020. She has accumulated more than $250,000 in medical bills as a result of injuries she believes were caused by the vaccine. Dressen said within one hour of being vaccinated she had tingling down her arm. By the time she got home her vision was blurry and doubled. Her sensitivity became so severe that she had to wear earmuffs and sunglasses all the time. That’s when things took a turn for the worse. “Things progressed quickly,” Dressen said. She experienced neurological decline, but no one could explain why. After a neurological scan, doctors said it looked as if she had multiple sclerosis (MS). According to Mayo Clinic, MS is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord where the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body. Dressen lost the use of her legs, as her symptoms worsened. After running several MRI’s, CT scans and lumbar punctures, doctors still had no answers, ABC4 News reported. Dressen said she spent months teaching herself how to walk, eat and form sentences again — all while she traveled in search of answers. MORE- https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/brianne-dressen-injuries-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-senators-demand- answer/ [this is just one of many with bad reactions. Run don’t walk if the come with a needle. – rdb]

Commentary: Another Biden Administration Eco-Con Paul Driessen Posted: Jul 14, 2021 12:01 AM Via yet another decree (Executive Order 14008), President Biden has ordered government agencies to “permanently protect” at least 30 percent of all US lands and waters by 2030. This “30 X 30 Plan” appears to presume that any areas not designated as park, refuge or wilderness are not “protected,” even though the vast majority of federal lands are already effectively off limits to mining, drilling, timber harvesting and even grazing, by virtue of policies heavily tilted toward preservation and against any development. Federal land management agencies include the Defense Department: 9 million acres; National Park Service: 80 million; Fish and Wildlife Service: 89 million; Forest Service: 193 million; and Bureau of Land Management: 244 million acres. That’s 615 million acres, six times California, 28% of the USA. NPS lands are managed solely for scenic, wildlife protection and recreational purposes. Some FWS lands allow limited farming and energy development. BLM and FS areas are supposedly “multiple use,” with some natural resource development allowed, but all are increasingly managed primarily for preservation. Of this total – 109 million acres – Washington plus Oregon – are already designated “wilderness,” where little more than hiking is permitted. Team Biden thinks even more should be off limits. There is presumably no plan to buy up millions of acres of state and private land in states where the federal government now owns almost no land: such as 0.3 percent federal in Connecticut or 2.4 percent in Delaware. Instead, it’s likely the order envisions even more restrictive federal control in Alaska and 11 states west of the Dakotas, where the feds own from 29 percent of all land in Montana to 81 percent in Nevada – but effectively control even more acreage, because federal lands surround or affect access to state and private holdings. Fresh and ocean waters of the United States would likely come under similar new restrictions – managed to protect rare, threatened and endangered species, or with wildlife used to justify restricting or banning drilling, fracking, mining, farming and other “undesirable” activities, in or near those species and waters. Anti-development actions obviously harm local and state economies. But matters get truly interesting when we examine Team Biden plans to eradicate the 80 percent of US energy that now comes from fossil fuels, and replace it with pseudo-renewable wind, solar and battery power. And we don’t even have to ponder the already shaky energy systems and economies, the frequent and prolonged blackouts, the scramble to find adequate electricity in states that are increasingly and inadvisably reliant on wind and solar power. Even more eye-popping, President Biden wants 80 percent hydrocarbon-free electricity generation by 2030, 100 percent by 2035, and zero fossil fuels anywhere in the US economy by 2050. But replacing America’s fossil fuel energy with wind and solar electricity would require tens of thousands of offshore wind turbines, millions of somewhat smaller onshore turbines, and/or billions of solar panels – plus thousands of miles of new transmission lines, plus over a billion half-ton backup battery modules for just one week of windless, sunless days. It could also mean turning entire US forests into wood pellets, to be burned in place of coal and gas to generate “zero- carbon” electricity in Britain and elsewhere – and growing corn, soybean, canola and other biofuel crops on millions of US acres that are now food crop, fallow, scenic and wildlife habitat lands. (See here, here and here for details.) How does this square with plans to have federal overseers “protect” 30 percent of the nation’s lands and waters – while safeguarding bald and golden eagles, falcons, white-nosed bats, lesser prairie chickens, snail darters and hundreds of other rare, threatened and endangered species? How will land managers and courts ensure that critical land, water, wildlife and scenic issues are fully vetted, before they grant permits for massive “clean, green, renewable” energy installations – under the same years-long review process they demand for drilling, fracking, mining and pipelines? Obviously, it doesn’t. And they won’t. It’s just another eco con job. They’ll have to ignore laws, cut corners and fast-track installation projects. They’ll destroy America’s habitats, wildlife and scenic vistas, in order to save them ... from “catastrophic manmade climate change.” Liberal Green/Blue cities and states won’t want bird-and-bat-chopping wind turbines, or habitat-blanketing solar panels in their backyards or off their shores. They certainly won’t want battery factories and mega-warehouses anywhere near them – especially considering the fire and explosion hazards they could pose. They’ll want these facilities installed in western states and other parts of “flyover country.” And they may have the votes, Big Media, Big Tech and Big Government power to dictate these terms. That means communities will have to be vigilant – and prepared to file lawsuits and take other actions to ensure that project, programmatic and cumulative environmental impact studies are conducted; that other human health issues (such as light flicker and infrasound from wind turbines) are addressed in detail; and that massive installations are blocked before they wreak havoc. There are other threats. Europe is already pondering “carbon tariffs” that would slap climate taxes on products imported from countries that don’t honor their Paris climate treaty obligations and continue to burn coal, oil and natural gas. Will that include wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicle and backup battery modules from China? Will Mr. Biden, Congress and/or Blue State legislators do likewise? And don’t forget the often toxic trash. Solar panels, EV and backup batteries, and 350-foot wind turbine blades can’t be recycled. In whose backyards do they plan to put the monster landfills to dump the billions of tons of non-renewable trash? At whose expense? It’s incredible how far they’ve gotten by blaming every heat wave and weather event on fossil fuel use – and insisting that natural climate changes that have blessed and pummeled planet and people throughout history have suddenly been replaced purely manmade (and always cataclysmic) climate change. It’s equally incomprehensible that Team Biden can claim the US and EU can “save the planet” by eradicating fossil fuels – while China, India and a hundred other countries vastly expand their energy needs to (a) meet their own economic development goals; and (b) conduct the mining, processing and manufacturing needed to support our governing classes’ wind, solar and battery ambitions. While the United States significantly reduced its emissions of plant-fertilizing carbon dioxide (the “miracle molecule” that makes life on Earth possible) by replacing coal-fired power with natural gas, Asian and other countries opened hundreds of new coal-fired power plants.China alone put 38.4 gigawatts (38,400 megawatts)of coal plants into operation in 2020; its annual GHG emissions already exceed those of all developed countries combined. Beijing is also building, planning or financing more than 300 coal plants in Turkey, Vietnam, Indonesia, Egypt and other nations. African countries are planning to build more than1,250 new coal and gas-fired generating units by 2030, many financed by Chinese banks and built by Chinese companies. Coal still supplies more than 70% of annual electricity consumption in India, the world’s second-largest coal user. India and Russia plan to mine much more coal and build hundreds more new coal-fired generating units in the next few years. Any American “energy transformation” would simply transfer emissions from the United States to these and other countries. Worldwide fossil fuel use and CO2/greenhouse gas emissions would actually increase significantly. Even assuming those emissions are now the primary factor controlling Earth’s climate, there would be no climate benefits even from completely eliminating fossil fuel use in the United States – and attempting to replace that energy with wind, solar, battery and biofuel power – at enormous economic, environmental, social and human cost. Yet this is the insane, authoritarian world we now live in. It’s time to end the “woke” cancel culture, debate these issues in every public forum, and restore common sense, before the costs soar any higher. https://townhall.com/columnists/pauldriessen/2021/07/14/another-biden-administration-ecocon-n2592474

Afghan Withdrawal Opens the Way for China by Con Coughlin July 14, 2021 at 5:00 am The indecent haste with which the Biden administration has undertaken its military withdrawal from Afghanistan not only raises the prospect of handing control of the country over to the hardline Islamist Taliban movement. It also presents China with a golden opportunity to extend its influence over this strategically important Central Asian country. China, which shares a tiny 47-mile-long border with Afghanistan, has long coveted developing closer ties with Kabul, not least because of the large, untapped reserves of mineral wealth that Afghanistan possesses. Rich in copper, lithium, marble, gold and uranium, Afghanistan's mineral wealth has been estimated to exceed in excess of $1 trillion, resources that could easily make the country economically self-sufficient if ever they were to be fully developed. From China's perspective, access to Afghanistan's mineral riches would provide it with a ready supply of valuable minerals that are deemed vital to the ruling Communist party's long-term aim of becoming the world's pre-eminent economic power. Decades of incessant conflict in Afghanistan, dating back to the Soviet Union's invasion in 1979, has meant that, to date, little progress has been made in developing the country's natural riches. Endemic corruption among the country's ruling elite is another reason for the slow rate of progress, with the result that the Afghan government is estimated to lose around $300 million from mining each year. Former US President Donald J. Trump at one point considered developing Afghanistan's mineral wealth to help pay for the cost of the US-led military coalition, which is estimated to have cost American taxpayers between $1-2 trillion during the past two decades. Now, following US President Joe Biden's decision to accelerate the pace of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, there are mounting concerns that China will move quickly to replace the US as the dominant power in this benighted country, with all the implications that could have for Western security as a number of Islamist terror groups, such as ISIS, look to use the country as a safe haven from which to plot attacks against the West. The manner of the Americans' departure, where they clearly did not trust their Afghan allies sufficiently enough to give them prior notice of their departure, demonstrates a worrying lack of faith between the US and its allies despite the fact the two sides have been close allies for nearly two decades. The US and other Nato allies, such as Britain, have invested billions of dollars in training and equipping the Afghan security forces to defend the country against the Taliban threat. Nonetheless, the situation on the ground has reached the point where, without backing from Western forces, the Afghan forces will struggle to prevail against a determined and resourceful adversary such as the Taliban. The inability of the Afghan forces to protect the country's democratically-elected government is reflected in recent figures which show that the Taliban controls one third of all 421 districts in the country, with the Taliban itself claiming it controls 85 percent of the country. Even if the Taliban claims are grossly exaggerated, as Western observers claim, it is clear the Afghan government of President Ashraf Ghani is under enormous pressure as a result of Mr Biden's decision to speed up the withdrawal, with US combat operations ending a full two months ahead of the September deadline originally set by the American president. As Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told the "Fox News Sunday" show at the weekend, Washington is "watching with deep concern" as Taliban insurgents take control of more and more territory. With little realistic prospect of a negotiated settlement being reached between Kabul and the Taliban at the peace talks currently taking place in the Gulf state of Qatar, the stage is set for Beijing to step in and exert its influence in a country which has fallen within Washington's sphere of influence since the late 1980s. Beijing already enjoys good relations with neighbouring Pakistan, where the country's charismatic prime minister, Imran Khan, was once dubbed "Taliban Khan" for supporting the Islamist movement. The Pakistani leader has also been criticised for declaring al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden a "martyr" after he was killed by US special forces as his Pakistan hideaway in 2011. As part of Beijing's efforts to deepen and broaden its ties in Central Asia, Beijing is also concentrating its efforts on expanding its influence in Afghanistan, a policy it expects will bear fruit if the Taliban achieve their goal of seizing control of the entire country. Previous attempts by Beijing to build ties in Afghanistan have been hampered by China's appalling treatment of its minority Muslim Uyghur population in Xinjiang province in north-western China. The Uyghurs have historically enjoyed close links with the Taliban -- a number of Uyghur fighters were sent to the US Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba after they were detained by US forces in Afghanistan during the initial American military intervention in 2001 after the September 11 attacks. In an attempt to improve relations with Beijing, the Taliban have refused to condemn China's persecution of Muslims in Xinjiang, and have declared that they will no longer harbour Uyghur militants in the territory they control. In addition, Chinese officials have opened unofficial channels with the Taliban, aimed at ending the country's long- running civil war. Mr Biden, judging by his spirited defence of his decision to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan, clearly believes that it is in America's interests to end its two-decade-long involvement in the country. But if the US withdrawal simply opens the way for China to become the new dominant power in Afghanistan, then Mr Biden will be responsible for causing, so far as the West is concerned, a strategic disaster of epic proportions. Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute. https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17565/afghanistan-withdrawal-china THE SHORASHIM BIBLICAL GIFT CATALOG 005 http://mad.ly/7f9f64?pact=20013931524&fe=1 Support Shorashim! ARUTZ SHEVA 150,000 rockets aimed at Israel. Northern Command head: We have surprises for Hezbollah "The next war will be complex for us but unbearable for them. " Arutz Sheva Staff , Jul 14 , 2021 5:00 PM The commander of the Northern Command, Major General Amir Baram, said that "We are preparing surprises for Hezbollah's 'surprises.' The next war will be complex for us but unbearable for them. " It is estimated that the terrorist army has between 130-150 thousand rockets and missiles capable of hitting any point in Israel, at distances between 15 and 700 kilometers, at a rate of ten thousand launches a week. In light of this, units in the armored and engineering corps have recently undergone the 'Northern Threshold' test to measure required preparedness for the next war in Lebanon. The test, which lasts a week, was built to train young fighters and commanders who have not experienced combat and to best prepare for aggressive and deadly maneuvering in enemy territory. A battalion that does not pass the test according to the set threshold is declared unfit for war and is required to continue training and perform the test again until succeeding. 39 out of 40 battalions have been tested and passed the exam. Battalion 51 started the test but was required to stop in the middle after being called to action during Operation Guardian of the Walls. The commander of the 36th Division, Brigadier General Dan Neumann, stated unequivocally: "The fire from the air will be powerful in the first hours of the fighting. But in order to defeat the enemy at the operational stage, we will need ground maneuvering. " The IDF today unveiled a Hezbollah target to prove that the organization uses civilian assets for military activity - this is one of the thousands of targets in the Northern Command that is to be attacked in the next Lebanon war. The IDF pointed to a weapons storehouse established in the heart of Kfar Abba, the capital of the Nabatieh district- about 25 meters from the official school of Kfar Abba. The proximity of Hezbollah's weapons to the school endangers more than 300 innocent students. Like this target, there are thousands of similar Hezbollah targets that endanger the citizens of Lebanon and which are targeted by the IDF. Baram warned Hezbollah: In the next campaign, you will meet a trained, deadly army that is more determined than ever." https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/309882

MK Ibtisam Mara'ana: 'It's my security and it's my foreign affairs' Arab MK Ibtisam Mara'ana joins Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee 'to be on guard,' says option of Gaza war 'doesn't work.' Arutz Sheva Staff , Jul 15 , 2021 8:36 AM

Ibtisam Mara'ana Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

MK Ibtisam Mara'ana (Labor) has joined the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee as an alternate member, sparking controversy. "I don't understand the uproar," Mara'ana told News 12. "If a man had joined the Committee for Women's Issues no one would raise an eyebrow, or if a Jew had joined the Special Committee on Arab Society Affairs, no one would raise an eyebrow. But when an Arab joins the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, people raise eyebrows." "I joined the Committee because it's my security, too, and it's my foreign affairs, too. My job on the Committee is first of all to be on guard and to say that violence and war no longer works. We are paying a price in blood, bereavement, and destruction. I am a person who believes that all avenues of negotiations must be pursued." When asked if she would want the IDF to win if it needed to engage in another Gaza war, Mara'ana refused to clearly condemn Hamas' attacks on Israeli civilians. "I want there to be peace here," she claimed. "I say enough with the violence, the crime, and the wars. It's time to examine a different path. My stance is very clear: The paths of attack and violence, and wars, and people on both sides who lose their homes - this doesn't work." https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/309914

Orthodox prayer at the 'Reform' section of the Kotel New initiative to pray and learn Torah at the Ezrat Yisrael plaza, complete with a partition. Yehonatan Gottlieb , Jul 15 , 2021 1:08 PM

Orthodox prayer in the Ezrat Yisrael Spokesperson

In the last few days, activists from the Joint Committee for the Sanctity of the Kotel have been arriving at the Kotel Hama’aravi (Western Wall), along with several rabbis, to pray the afternoon and evening prayers (Minchah and Maariv) at the Ezrat Yisrael section at the site. Several years have passed since the site was designated as a place for those who wish to pray without division between men and women, but the site is almost always empty, with religious and secular Jews alike opting to pray at the main prayer section. The activists have been bringing with them a makeshift mechitzah (partition) made of canvas that they erect to separate between men and women, which has infuriated the Women of the Wall, even though this feminist, leftist group always conducts its prayer services in the women’s section of the main plaza, where its ultimate objective is to see the mechitzah there torn down. In addition, every evening Torah classes are being held in the Ezrat Yisrael section, which is located in the southern part of the plaza. This Thursday night, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, the dean (rosh yeshivah) of the Ateret Kohanim yeshivah, will be giving a Torah class. Those giving classes in recent days have included Rabbi Moshe Ben Abu and Rabbi Meir Ne’eman. According to the activists, “We understand that the Kotel is one of the main objectives of those who want to change the nature of the State of Israel. The battle over the Kotel is really a battle over the character of the State – whether it will remain a Jewish state or whether it will become a ‘state of all its citizens.’” “The Kotel is ours, too,” they add. “Especially now, when all those associated with the Reform are celebrating what they see as their victory and planning their next moves to undermine Judaism – conversion, religious courts and more – it’s vital that we stop them in their tracks and act, here at the Kotel, in order to prevent Reform elements from gaining control over this holy site and over other places that are central to Judaism.” Oren Henig, head of the Liba Center, an organization that is dedicated to enhancing the Jewish character of the State of Israel, stated: “At a time when a left-wing government established by [Prime Minister Naftali] Bennett together with [Yair] Lapid, [Mansour] Abbas, and [Arab Labor MK Ibtisam] Mara’ana, is selling out the state to the Reform movement, we at the Liba Center are calling on everyone to whom Judaism is important to arrive here and strengthen our hold over the Kotel and protect its sanctity.” As noted above, the Women of the Wall are incensed at this new initiative. “It is inconceivable that we should accept the violence and incitement created by these extremist Religious Zionist elements in their disgusting power grab over the Ezrat Yisrael.” According to them, “The Liba Center, Chotam, and other such extremist organizations who call themselves the Committee for the Protection of the Sanctity of the Kotel, are doing exactly the opposite of protecting its sanctity. They are debasing the sanctity of this holy place and behaving in exactly the opposite way to what they should have learned from history – from the events that led up to the destruction of the Holy Temple, times of baseless hatred among the Jewish People. “We are appealing to whoever is responsible for ensuring order and preventing violence at the Western Wall to do what they should be doing, and prevent the holding of prayers at the Ezrat Yisrael. Those making decisions at the site and anyone who has eyes in his head should learn from this event, as well as from the violent occurrence that happened on Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, when extremists tore the pages out of prayer books belonging to the Women of the Wall. They have to realize who are the people really making the disturbances there, inciting and committing acts of violence – and who are the people who only want to pray there in their own way.” In their response to the latest developments, Tenuat Ne’emanei Torah ve’Avodah issued a statement: “Instead of working toward unity among Jews and bringing them closer to G-d, these organizations are trying to forcibly gain control over the Ezrat Yisrael that was established in order to provide a place for those who want to pray in their own manner. It is sad to see ‘Protecting the sanctity of the Kotel’ turning into a protest in the form of Torah classes. We hope that this issue of the Kotel will be resolved in a manner that invites every Jew to connect with G-d in his own way.” https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/309931 [The battle for “Identity” rages on. – rdb]

Third day in a row, Israel sees over 700 new coronavirus cases Health Ministry reports 765 new coronavirus cases, 54 patients in serious condition. Arutz Sheva Staff , Jul 15 , 2021 1:24 PM Israel's Health Ministry has announced that Wednesday saw 765 new coronavirus cases diagnosed, bringing the number of active cases nationwide to 5,372. This is the third day in a row in which more than 700 new cases were diagnosed daily: On Tuesday, 730 new cases were diagnosed, and on Wednesday, 754 new cases were diagnosed. One hundred coronavirus patients are hospitalized, with 54 in serious condition, 17 in critical condition, and 16 on ventilators. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Israel has seen 6,443 coronavirus deaths. On Wednesday, 62,980 coronavirus tests were performed, and 1.38% of test results received were negative. So far, 5,209,706 Israelis have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus, and 40% of Israelis ages 12-19 have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Meanwhile, Israel has just one "red" city, Shaarei Tikva, but seven cities are "orange": Tzufim, Kfar Yona, Yehud, Pardes Hanna- Karkur, Ashdod, Etz Efraim, and Beit Yitzhak-Sha'ar Hefer https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/309929

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